


In Plain Sight

by Kumar



Category: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra: Princess Of Power
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-17
Updated: 2015-05-16
Packaged: 2018-03-30 21:59:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3953317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kumar/pseuds/Kumar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Disappearances from the Eternian Marketplace disrupt the twins latest visit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was the end of another work week. Wrapping up business before it was time for the evening meal. Court seemed to last forever today. King Randor, leader of Eternia was going over the final reports. He was an honest and fair king, genuinely interested in the welfare of his people. It was important for him to have many ears to the ground. A way to gage what was going on, and where he needed to improve services to his people.

The last report of the day came from the local troops who handled day to day issues within Eternia City itself. The constable was going through the week in review. This was a new constable and she was clearly nervous to be talking directly to her monarch. She read from the papers quickly and wouldn’t make eye contact.

“We are still looking into the recent disappearances of several people. As per last week, there has been no change in the information we have. People seem to just vanish in the marketplace without warning.”

Randor narrowed his eyes, thoughtfully. “Have you been able to find a connection between the missing people or their families?”

“No, Sire.”

“How many have vanished so far?”

Consulting the report, the constable replied, “Six, Sire.” She took a breath and continued, “We have increased patrols of the marketplace and have asked people to be aware of their surroundings. My troops have been canvasing businesses and asking for aid in solving this mystery.”

The king sighed quietly. Nothing was ever easy but at least the people he had in place were competent and smart. A good king let them make decisions and do their jobs. “All right. Good work, constable. Keep me apprised of any changes. Was there anything else?”

The constable shuffled her papers. ‘No, Sire.”

Randor sighed. It was bad enough that they had a mystery on their hands. He was relieved that everything else was going well. “You’re dismissed, thank you constable.”

The constable clutched the report close to her chest, bowed low and then left the room in a hurry. She was grateful there was no reprimand for not solving the case already. She vowed to double her efforts and come back next week with some good news for her king.

\----

There were times, Adora knew, when Adam really was too tired to practice combat techniques. When he had spent the day or night fighting evil or saving people from certain death. When taking a rest near a nice cool pond would be a fine end to a tiring time.

This was one of those times.

Adam, prince of Eternia and the true person behind He-Man the champion of Eternia, was tired and more than a little cranky. He and Adora had just returned to the palace, having successfully stopped yet another plot by the evil sorcerer Skeletor.

The twins were exhausted, in spite of their magical alter egos, and ready for a break. It was such a rare pleasure fighting together though. They were truly equals; a matched set. Adora, the lost and then found princess of Eternia, was rarely home. Her life was on Etheria, a planet in another dimension, where she fought The Horde as her alter ego She-Ra.

Both siblings were tall and blond and striking. They moved with the easy grace of experienced warriors. Adora especially had a hard look about her from years of training as a Horde officer and Force Captain.

Entering the courtyard, the twins spied Teela, Captain of the Royal Guard, waiting with practice swords and an annoyed air about her. Immediately, as though donning a mask, Adam’s posture went from accomplished warrior to slumped shoulders and lazy walk. It was an incredible transformation in the space of a few steps.

Adora saw the change and sighed inwardly. She truly felt badly for her brother, trapped in a charade to protect his secret identity. She had a lot more freedom, being known first as a Force Captain and then as the leader of the Great Rebellion. She could be herself all the time without question. Adam had to protect his secret more carefully. He was a public figure, quite familiar, and yet was never seen side-by-side with He-Man. At times, his responsibilities as He-Man trumped his responsibilities as heir to the Eternian throne. His charade as the unreliable and cowardly prince was only reinforced.

When Adam visited Etheria, he took advantage of the freedom there and remained his strong self. He visited whenever possible. This time, though, he couldn’t get away and Adora made the journey to Eternia instead.

Right from their first encounter the twins had forged a bond that was incredibly strong. She needed her twin as much as he needed her.

Teela quickly saw them and came marching over.

“Adam!” she began harshly. “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting here for nearly half an hour now.”

“I…” Adam began, stammering slightly.

Teela stomped her foot down. “Don’t bother, Adam. Sleeping by the pond or fishing or going shopping, whatever your excuse, it doesn’t matter. You’re here now and it’s time to train.”

Adora watched this exchange silently and decided enough was enough. “I’m sorry, Captain. My brother and I have plans and-“

“No.” Teela cut off the princess abruptly. “I’m sorry, Princess, but Adam has blown me off already several days in a row.” She turned to face the prince. “You need these skills to protect yourself! I’m not doing this for fun, I’m doing it so you can save your own life. Now pick a weapon and let’s get going.”

Adora was taken aback at Teela’s tone. Adam didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. “Brother….”

“It’s ok, Sis,” Adam replied, always the peacemaker. “Teela’s right; I really have been missing too many sessions. I’ll see you later.”

The two walked away leaving Adora standing there with her mouth slightly open. Of course Adam had missed sessions, he was out fighting! But she had to respect his cover and they could catch up later.

With her brother gone and royal court still in session, there wasn’t a lot for Adora to do. She still wasn’t comfortable with all the pomp and circumstance of royal life. She definitely didn’t like the attention from various courtiers of any gender and species. She felt a lot like an outsider in what was supposed to be her own home.

But it wasn’t her home. Her home was stolen away from her decades before when Hordak kidnapped her from her cradle. Etheria was more home to her and always would be.

So, if she were on Etheria, what would she be doing? Getting some intel at the local towns or going for supplies in the markets. Adora squared her shoulders and decided it was high time she mingled with her people. The marketplace of Eternia City was beckoning.

\---

The Eternian market surrounded the palace. It was full and crowded with various stalls, stores and so many people. Adora wandered around taking in the sights and smells. Some things were so different, like the spices and the smells of meats cooking. And some things were, it seemed, universal. Clothing, blankets, jewelry galore.

While the princess wore basic clothing, and really didn’t have time to think about fancy things, she loved the colours and artistry in the clothing and jewelry. She recognized the skill and workmanship around her and it was stunning.

She had paused to touch some bright and beautiful cloth, when a young urchin bumped into her and fell on his rump.

“Oh dear,” Adora exclaimed. “Are you all right?”

She pulled the young teen to his feet. He brushed the hair from his eyes and looked up at Adora. Clearly smitten, he gasped and stuttered, “Why you’re… you’re the princess!”

Adora smiled gently. “Yes, that’s right.”

The boy pulled away from her grasp as though being burned. “I- You!-“, and then he ran off, disappearing into the crowd.

“Wait!” Adora cried out. “I won’t hurt you!”

The crowd that had been milling around her, was now all watching Adora. She began to feel more than a little uncomfortable with the attention. Attention in her world only brought negative results.

The crowd drew closer, many people smiling, reaching out to touch Adora reverently. Their princess returned and now walking among them. It was incredible. A few people started pushing forward, asking questions all at once. Adora began to feel claustrophobic. She turned around to find an escape route but there was none. As more and more people sensed something happening, the crowd began to grow.

A young woman pushed through the crowd with authority. People parted slightly.

“Your Highness!’ She called. The woman was medium height, with dark hair and dark eyes. “Please follow me; you’re needed at the palace. Everyone else, return to your business! There is nothing to see here!”

Adora was grateful for the escape and followed the woman through the crowd. In a few moments, people started to disperse. But the woman reached out and took a firm hold on the princess regardless.

“In here,” she said as she opened a door hidden between two market stalls. “It will be safe here.”

They entered and the door shut.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust but when they did, Adora found herself facing a large group of people, all with swords and various weapons pointing at her.

“What?-“

“Be quiet!” The woman bolted the door and pushed past the princess. “I’ve brought her, alive and healthy. Give me my money.”

A large, heavy bag was tossed at the woman. She caught it expertly and opened it long enough to verify the contents. With a quick, “Enjoy your stay, Princess!” over her shoulder, the woman went to the back of the room and through a door.

Adora knew she was in trouble and no one knew where she was!

\--

Well, not no one. Someone had seen the whole event go down and had been watching intently.


	2. Chapter 2

Adam parried and blocked Teela’s latest attack. He was tired and more than a little bored. They were working on basic defense moves, something Adam had mastered years ago in actual battle but continued to feign ignorance of in his lessons.

The muscular prince was setting up for another block when he paused suddenly. He felt a wave of intense fear wash over him followed immediately by a feeling of…. It was hard to define. Control? Assessment?

Teela whacked him hard in the arm with the practice sword.

“Ow!”

“Adam! Pay attention!” Teela admonished. “Pausing like that in battle will get you injured or even worse, killed.”

Adam rubbed his arm ruefully. “I know, Teela. I’m sorry. I just…. I don’t know. I feel like something is wrong.”

Teela smirked. “What could be wrong? Are you hungry or something?”

“No… I-“

In the distance, at the front gate, there were sounds of commotion. The noise caught Adam’s attention. “Something’s going on at the gate!”

He dropped his sword and shield and started jogging over to see what was going on.

“Adam!” Teela called out. “Come back!”

But the young man wasn’t listening. The feeling of dread had settled into his stomach and he needed to do something about it.

-

At the gate, the two guards were arguing with a young urchin. The boy was insisting that he needed to talk to the royal family and no one else. The guards were equally insistent that that was never going to happen.

Adam jogged over and eyed the situation. “What’s going on here?’ He asked.

The boy was out of breath, dirty and clearly desperate. “I – I need to talk to the king! Please!”

Adam folded his arms. “I am the king’s son, Adam. Whatever you need to tell my father, you can tell to me. I’ll personally make sure he gets the message.”

The boy took a few gulps of air.

“I was in the marketplace just now.” He was talking fast, trying to slow down. “I saw the princess there. She had to be the princess she was so beautiful!”

Adam smiled a little. Here he was an unknown but his sister, who rarely set foot on Eternia, was clearly recognizable.

“There was a woman and she took her!”

Now this was a turn and a serious one. “What? Who took whom?”

“It was all my fault!” The boy cried. “I bumped into the princess and caused a scene. I didn’t mean to! And I ran off but not too far because I’ve never seen a princess before. But this woman came and took the princess away.”

Adam frowned. He realised what the bad feeling was. “Do you know where she was taken?”

The boy caught his breath once more. “Yes,” he said firmly. “I can take you there.”

“Ok,” Adam replied. “Wait here. I’m going to go get He-Man. You can take him to find my sister!”

Turning to the guards, Adam said, “Don’t let him leave just yet. He-Man should be by in a few minutes. I’ll go get him.”

He ran off, concern knotting in his gut. Adora was in trouble and she didn’t know Eternia like he did. He had no time to waste. Rounding a corner and diving into an empty room, Adam pulled out his sword and cried, “By the power of Grayskull!”

\--

Minutes later, He-Man and the urchin were rushing through the Eternian market straight to the building Adora was taken to. Approaching the door, He-Man motioned for the boy to stay back before bursting through…

Into an empty room. On further inspection, the whole building was empty. There was no sign of life at all.

Spinning around, He-Man spotted something red in one of the shadows. He picked it up. It was one of Adora’s wrist braces! So she had been here. And now, she was nowhere to be found.

He-Man paused to tap on his communicator. “Man-At-Arms, this is He-Man…”

A tinny voice replied, “Go ahead, He-Man.”

He-Man filled in Man-At-Arms on what was going on. They agreed that sending troops out through the marketplace would be the best course of action to look for clues and anyone with more information.

“In the meantime,” He-Man concluded. “I’m going to check in with the Sorceress and see if she can help in any way.”

Plans made, He-Man strode out of the building, thanked the urchin for his help, and climbed into his waiting wind raider.

\--

Adora woke up with a headache and a terrible fuzzy feeling in her mouth. It took her several moments to get oriented. She opened her eyes slowly and realised it was pointless, she was in a dark space. A dark, small space.

The situation was dire but Adora’s training kicked in.

“What do I have and what do I need?” She thought, assessing the situation.

Reaching over her shoulder, she could feel her sword still in place. That was fantastic. The down side was she couldn’t pull it out because there wasn’t space. Adora felt like she was in a small box. Her knees were bent and she was almost in a crouching position but on her back. She slid down a little trying to get some more room. It was no use.

Pulling the sword out as far as it would go, and it wasn’t far, Adora called out quietly, “Sorceress! Can you hear me?”

The box jolted suddenly and Adora pushed her sword back into the hilt quickly to hide it. More jolting and then a hard thud. The princess briefly debated playing dead, but she was cramped, tired and more than a little put out. “Hey!” She called out, banging on her prison. “Let me out!”

The light was sudden and harsh. The walls and ceiling of her box had vanished. Adora unfolded awkwardly, but didn’t stay that way for long. She was on her feet fast, with the grace of a cat.

 --

“He-Man!”

In his head, He-Man could telepathically hear the Sorceress call to him.  He touched his hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. “Yes, Sorceress.” He-Man replied.

“Princess Adora called out to me through her sword moments ago,” the Sorceress said. “But she did not answer when I replied.”

He-Man opened his eyes. He could feel his twin, she was a slight presence in his head, but he couldn’t reach out to her or communicate. He made a mental note to make sure she got a communicator from the palace. Not having one was a complete oversight that he would fix.

“Can you tell where she was?” He-Man asked. “Is she still on Eternia?”

“Yes,” the Sorceress replied. “And she’s not that far away. Come to Castle Grayskull and I will transport you to her.”

“Can you not just transport me from here, Sorceress?” He-Man asked, anxious to get to his sister.

“Adora is somewhere here, He-Man, at the Castle. I need time to figure out exactly where.”

“I’ll be right there.”

He-Man turned the wind raider towards Castle Grayskull and flew faster. There was no time to waste.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Adora looked around but there wasn’t much to see. She was in some kind of cave. It was utterly black behind her. The light coming from the torches on the walls didn’t fill the space.

The cave floor was smooth but the walls were rough. Someone had taken the time to start the work but clearly never finished the job. The ceiling was low. Low enough that Adora could have touched it if she had jumped.

On either side of her, there were two cloaked and covered people. As soon as Adora had leapt up, each one had grabbed an arm and held on tight. Directly in front of her was another person. He was just outside of the light’s reach.

“Hey!” Adora called, struggling against her much larger captors. “Let me go!”

In response, the princess was dragged forward a few steps.

The person moved into the light. “So,” he said, removing his hood. “This is what you bring me; a lone woman? But what is that I’m sensing?” He moved closer but stayed out of Adora’s kicking range. He was tall, and well built. Bearded to the point of being scruffy. And he smelled like human and hard work. He causally walked around the group, pausing behind Adora. “You’re different”, he sniffed. “There’s magic about you. Yes…. You’ll do nicely.”

This just made her angry. Being examined like a thing was a sore point for Adora. She took advantage of her anger and started a fake faint, dropping down against her captors.  They weren’t expecting her move and became unbalanced. Adora pulled down into a crouch, hard, and the goons holding her arms cracked their heads together. They immediately let go of her in response. Freed, Adora knew she had only moments to act. She jumped up, twisted and leapt over one goon and kicked out at the smelly man.

He was surprisingly fast and grabbed at her leg. She was expecting it and used him to kick off of and free herself.  She hit the floor rolling and then ran into the blackness that had been behind her, hoping there was a way out.

\--

He-Man arrived at Castle Grayskull fast. He suddenly felt like minutes counted. Jumping out of the wind raider he ran into the castle but didn’t have to go far; the Sorceress was waiting for him.

“Where -?” He started.

“She’s in the abyss right here!” The Sorceress replied. “That is why I had trouble locating her; she’s too close to the centre of power.”

“How did she get there?” He-Man wondered.

“I don’t know, He-Man, but she’s there now. Behind the Castle. And she’s far enough down that we can’t see her.”

The Sorceress brought her hands together over her head and they immediately transported to the rear of the castle. Here the abyss was very wide and incredibly rocky. The Sorceress conjured up a harness and rope and handed the harness over to He-Man.

“This rope is magical and will extend in length for however long you need.” She said. “I will attach it to the Castle wall, making it a part of the Castle. You will be able to get down and up quite easily.”

He-Man quickly donned the harness and checked the leads. Everything looked good. He was anxious to get going. That feeling in the back of his head had gone from a quiet hum to a burning need. Something was very wrong.

At that very moment, the abyss lit up all around. He-Man could feel the power rushing by. A familiar energy washed over him.

“She-Ra –“, he breathed. Without thinking, He-Man leapt over the edge of the abyss and dove down. The rope trailing after him.

\--

Without warning, the floor just ended. Adora’s momentum carried her forward and she had no chance of saving herself. Adora knew it was a now or never situation and she pulled her sword from its sheath and cried, “For the Honour of Grayskull!”

She had never called on her power while falling before and didn’t know what to expect. Unlike every other time, where her power came from her sword and surrounded her, this time the magic came from below and all around. As the transformation finished, She-Ra was able to see that she was in some kind of abyss. There were walls, out of reach on either side of her and nothing to be seen below.

“I must be at Castle Grayskull!” She breathed. “Sword to grappling hook!”

Her sword dutifully changed and She-Ra immediately hooked herself to one of the walls. It took all her strength to stop her descent and for a moment she wasn’t sure the hook was going to stay in place.

“That was close”, She-Ra exclaimed. “Now to climb up and deal with my captors. I think a little time in prison should help them change their ways!”

She-Ra had just pulled herself up to a ledge when she sensed something familiar. “Sword to light!”

Pointing the now bright sword up, she could see something falling fast….. make that someone!  It didn’t take long before she realised it was He-Man!

“Sword to glowing net!” She cried and just in time. The net caught He-Man and she pulled him onto the ledge.

“Going my way, Sis?” Laughed He-Man as She-Ra returned her sword to its natural form.

The twins hugged a little tighter than normal.

“Brother,” She-Ra started. “How did you find me?”

He-Man told her about the Sorceress and the abyss.

“If you’re ready to leave this place, the way out is up,” He-Man said.

She-Ra smirked. “I don’t know, Brother, the décor here really works for me.” She paused for a moment. “There is something I want to do before we head out.”

“What’s that, Sis?”

She-Ra told He-Man about the room and the strange people. “I don’t think I’m the only person that has passed through here. It was odd, really. They weren’t interested in me as a hostage or royalty, it was the magic from my sword that the man could sense that caught his attention.”

He-Man frowned. “We’ve been hearing about disappearances from the marketplace lately. But no one could figure out what the missing people had in common or catch the parties involved. I think you may be on to something. Grab a hold of me, the Sorceress’ magic rope will pull us up. We can then pay your friends a little visit!”

“Sword to light!” She-Ra put one arm around her brother’s shoulders and the other held aloft her sword, making the walls of the abyss bright enough to see clearly. They were ready to right some wrongs.


	4. Chapter 4

The rope pulled them up at a good rate of speed. She-Ra was surprised to see just how far she fell though.

“How deep is the abyss, Brother?” She asked.

He-Man frowned thoughtfully. “It goes to the centre of Eternia. It’s the seat of power for Grayskull and our swords.”

“That explains the light show when I changed to She-Ra,” She-Ra responded. “It was completely different.”

In moments, they could see what looked like a cave high above them. The light reflected off the entrance enough to make it clear that was their stop. As soon as they were high enough, the twins swung over and landed gracefully at the entrance.

There was no one there.

“Where to, Sis?” He-Man asked looked around as he released the harness. There wasn’t much to see.

She-Ra walked forward looking intently towards the hidden back of the cavern. “There has to be another way in and out of this place. The Sorceress would have noticed people climbing into the abyss.”

She swing the light around a bit. Walking further in. All of a sudden a portal flared up upon her approach. It wasn’t an ordinary portal, but large and dark purple with flaming edges. It was a thing of beauty and it was also terrible at the same time.

“By the Ancients!” He-Man exclaimed. “That’s a multi-phasic portal! I’ve never seen one in person but the Sorceress has told me about them.”

She-Ra narrowed her eyes, both drawn to and repelled by the portal. She paused behind it with her back to the dark far end of the cave. “What’s so special about this portal?”

“It opens up to the deepest past! With this portal, I can prevent Eternia from ever coming into being!” A deep voice boomed out. “And now, you have opened it for me!”

She-Ra spun around just in time to see the smelly man appear before her. “You!”

His eyes on the portal now, the man appeared to grow and change. “I am the rightful ruler of Eternia! My place was taken by the former King Miro. He betrayed me. And now his spawn rule like mewling kittens. Well, if I can’t have my rightful place, no one will!”

She-Ra was indignant. “You can’t wipe out a civilization for your own ego! The past is over and done with.”

“Ah,” the man replied. “Thanks to you and your magic, it is now changeable! And I will have my day!”

He ran to the portal but She-Ra was faster. She grabbed him by the collar and spun him around before tossing him towards He-Man.

“Brother! Catch! I’m sending you a nice present!”

He-Man deftly caught the man and spun him around briefly only to toss him back to She-Ra. “I think you need this more than me!” He quipped.

She-Ra caught man, now a slight shade of green. “Sword to rope!”

She wound the transformed sword around him, binding him tightly. “That should do the trick.”

Tossing the man aside, the twins stood together staring at the portal.

“How do we deal with this, Brother?”

There were lots of ways, but He-Man knew that any one of them could end in disaster. “I think we need help on this one.”

H touched his head lightly and telepathically reached out to the Sorceress. While He-Man wasn’t truly a telepath, the Sorceress was and her skill allowed him to communicate with her.

The Sorceress was ready and waiting and agreed that she needed to see the portal for herself. In moments she materialised down in the cavern. A glance and wave of the hand at the man, and he was magically bound, She-Ra’s sword appeared back in her hand.

Then the Sorceress turned to the portal.

“Now I know why Jorvath was down here,” she mused quietly. “The power from Castle Grayskull is amplified in this cavern.”

“Jorvath?” He-Man enquired. “Do you know him, Sorceress?”

“Yes, He-Man,” The Sorceress replied. “He is quite old, and I thought long dead. He was the wizard that helped your great grandfather in the Hard Times. And he helped a lot but when you great grandfather passed, King Miro grew suspicious and with good reason. For with great power comes great corruption. Jorvath had turned evil. He is quite old now, but clearly not dead.”

“Can you remove the portal?” She-Ra asked.

The sorceress narrowed her eyes, thinking. Feeling the air. “Oh yes, She-Ra. But first we must remove the source of its power.”

With a wave of her hands, the back end of the cavern lit up. Behind a magic force shield were half a dozen people. Some were standing, some were lying down. All looked distressed. And then the force shield went down.

“Good people of Eternia!” The Sorceress called out. “You are free now. I will return you to your homes and lives now.”

A blink and they had vanished. The portal flickered a bit and shrank.

“Were those the people that had disappeared recently?” He-Man asked, frowning.

“Yes. Jorvath had clearly taken them because they all channelled magic. In this tunnel, they acted as a focal point allowing the portal to be powered.”

She-Ra gestured to the clearly still present portal. “But it’s still here!”

“Because you are both the biggest sources of power here,” the Sorceress replied. “It’s time for you to go!” She clapped her hands and the twins found themselves standing on the grass looking down at the abyss.

Half a second later, they had changed into their natural forms without warning.

Then the sorceress appeared. “The portal has been destroyed. Jorvath has been dealt with, permanently. Thank you for your help, Prince Adam and Princess Adora.”

Adam was confused, “I don’t understand what just happened.”

“You both are channels for magic. You have to be to maintain your alter forms.” The sorceress replied. “I simply removed all the magic channels, dampened the cavern, and the portal disappeared.”

“What about Jorvath?” Adora asked.

The sorceress abruptly changed into her falcon form and flew up into the air.

“I don’t think we are going to get any answers on that one, Sis,” Adam said ruefully. “At least you’re back and safe.”

The twins hugged, grateful for a happy ending.

Adam slung an arm around Adora’s shoulders and they started walking around the castle. “When we get back home, Sis, remind me to give you a communicator!”


End file.
